Series Alert: Scarlet Heart: Ryeo

I guess I don't have a format for these posts.

Let's just get to it! I have been unemployed for several months and this has provided me with a significant increase in free time to binge watch dramas. I certainly prefer k-dramas but I'm not exclusive. Taiwan, China, Japan, and several other countries all produce really great programs so I do venture out.

This time around I made a trip to C-Dramaland (China!) and I watched Scarlet Heart. The series is focused on a young woman that gets into an accident in the modern world and then wakes up to find herself transported hundreds of years into the past. She quickly realizes that has landed right in the middle of a story with which she is very familiar because she studied it in history class. Knowing the fates of all the major players, she has to carefully navigate around any situations in which her choices might change the past and, consequently, the future. Most of these situations revolve around the emperor's sons , 14 princes to be exact, and their fight to succeed their father as emperor of the nation. But as the story progresses and the years pass by, she begins to realize that her presence may have already been accounted for in the history books.

It is a long and epic journey that can be beautiful and heartbreaking. I really enjoyed it. Cecilia Liu, Nicky Wu, Kevin Cheng and all the other actors developed a phenomenal rapport with one another and depicted the politics between the brothers as something that could be savage and compassionate.

Needless to say, I was really startled when I stumbled across the news that Lee Joon Gi and IU would be staring in a k-drama re-make of this series - set to be broadcast on SBS at the end of August. I have confidence in Lee Joon Gi to capture the quiet brooding of the 4th Prince. But IU will have to work hard to meet the quality of Cecilia Lui's portrayal of the young time traveler.

It is difficult work adapting a series that has previously found success. As an audience member, I want all the great qualities of the original to be present but something that is just different enough to keep my attention. I'm excited!!

Let the countdown to August begin and I'll keep my fingers crossed that I am employed by then!

Share your thoughts!

Series Alert: Six Flying Dragons

I stumbled across this one by pure accident.

Slated for an October release on SBS, it will take over the time slot currently occupied by Mrs. Cop. The only reason I felt compelled to make this into a series alert is because Kim Myung Min is tied to the project. And, I will watch anything that includes him in the cast.

This period drama will focus on six characters, hence the name, and their successes at the start of the Joseon Dynasty. The central figure of the drama is Lee Bang Won (Yoo Ah In), a son of the first king of the Joseon Dynasty that later inherits the throne. Half of the six characters are based on real historical figures from that era and the other half are works of fiction.

Shin Se Kyung (Blademan) and Byun Yo Han (Ex-Girlfriend's Club) are also set to play major characters in the series.

Doctor Stranger

Title:	Doctor Stranger
Alternate Title(s):	N/A
Genre(s):	Medical Drama, Political Drama
Episodes	20
Network:	SBS
Year Produced:	2014
Available to Watch On:	DramaFever, viki, Hulu, dramafans.org

Summary: Doctor Stranger is an epic tale of true love conquering insurmountable obstacles. Park Hoon (Lee Jong Suk) is abducted as a child in order to force his father, a gifted heart surgeon, to perform surgery on the North Korean leader. The understanding is that they'd be returned to South Korea when the surgery is completed successfully. But a corrupt South Korean politician arranges for their execution instead. The North Korean government fakes the execution and the two become stranded in a foreign country without the means to return home. It is there that Park Hoon meets his first and only love, Song Jae Hee (Jin Se Yeon), and the two grow-up together with dreams of becoming doctors. But Park Hoon is placed into a brutal medical program where he is forced to experiment on living people - often taking their lives in the process. Meanwhile, Song Jae Hee is placed into a labor camp with her father. Fate plays a cruel trick on the star crossed lovers as they struggle to reunite and free themselves from the political machinations of the people that destroyed their lives.

RATING:

♥♥½
Dr. Stranger - Just Strange. 

Recommendation: The first two episodes of this k-drama are thrilling. They move fast and take the audience on a globe trotting adventure through South Korea, North Korea (at least a set that looks like it), and Hungary. It is exciting! I even believed, very briefly, that the prospects for this to be a "k-drama of 2014" were very good. Then, the show fast forwards a few years and permanently relocates to South Korea where it all falls apart. It feels a little bit like a k-drama written by committee: one person wanted it to be a medical drama, someone else wanted it to a suspenseful espionage thriller, and another person wanted an epic romance. Unable to make a decision, they added everything into the series. Perhaps if Dr. Stranger had focused heavily on one or the other the outcome might have been more satisfying. Even the relationship between Park Hoon and Song Jae Hee feels awkward and forced at times, the chemistry lacking. Eventually, I began to wonder if they knew what their characters were doing or thinking: "Am I a spy? Am I a doctor? Do I want to kill you or love you? I don't know!" At the very least, the surgeries were nicely choreographed and tense. I was reasonably sold on Lee Jong Suk and Park Hae Jin as talented surgeons. That's something, I suppose.

You're All Surrounded

Title:	You're All Surrounded
Alternate Title(s):	N/A
Genre(s):	Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Romantic Comedy
Episodes	20
Network:	SBS
Year Produced:	2014
Available to Watch On:	DramaFever, viki, Netflix, dramafans.org

Summary: This hard to define police drama follows Kim Ji Young (Lee Seung Gi), whose mother was murdered when we was a child. Twelve years later, he has returned as Eun Dae Koo and become a police detective secretly trying to unroot Seo Pan Seok (Cha Seung Won) as the corrupt detective responsible for his mother's death.  When he joins the Gagnam Police force to get close to Seo Pan Seok, he is inadvertently reunited with Eo Soo Sun (Go Ara), a childhood acquaintance from his hometown that has also become a detective. He must tread carefully in he presence lest his real identity be exposed. This wild adventure is a little bit NYPD Blue, 21 Jump Street, and Police Academy.

4 = Pretty darn good

Recommendation: You're All Surrounded is a surprisingly good k-drama. It may have initially given the impression that it was more akin to Police Academy than a hardcore police drama but it strikes a nice balance somewhere in between the two.While the primary story surrounds Lee Seung Gi's character, the drama really felt like an ensemble piece that gave every actor an opportunity to tell his or her story and find a resolution. The pace is quick, every episode is exciting, and twenty episodes was the perfect number to wrap-up all the loose ends. There aren't many k-dramas that leave me wondering what the future holds for its characters but this one is an exception. A second season that explores their lives as veteran police detectives with a new set of challenges would make for an interesting tale.

Three Days

Title:	Three Days
Alternate Title(s):	3 Days
Network:	SBS
Year Produced:	2014

Summary: Three Days is a 2014 South Korean drama produced for SBS. This dark political thriller follows Secret Service Agent Han Tae Kyung (Park Yoo Chun) as he races against the clock to prevent the financial ruin of South Korea and the deaths of innocent civilians. The story begins with the mysterious death of his father and quickly escalates into an assassination attempt of the S. Korean president. But as Agent Han discovers, those events are just the tip of the iceberg. Now, he must unravel a decades old conspiracy in search of clues to prevent another tragedy. The series also stars well-known actors Park Ha Sun, Choi Won Young, and So E Hyun.

2.5 = I really wanted to like this one...

Recommendation: Here's the thing: I feel absolutely nothing about this k-drama. I don't love it and I don't hate it. It's just kind of... there. It was difficult to empathize with any of the characters' plights and I was indifferent to the outcome right up until the end of episode 13. Sure, there were some exciting action sequences and staring at Park Yoo Chun for 16 hours isn't a bad way to spend my free time. But I want to cry, laugh, and feel emotionally invested in the fates of the characters when I watch a movie, television show, play, etc... So, I'm sorry to report that this k-drama is a no-go for me. If you like political-conspiracy-action k-dramas, it might be worth your time.

It's Alright, That's Love

Title:	It's Alright, That's Love
Alternate Title(s):	It's Ok, It's Love
Network:	SBS
Year Produced:	2014

Summary: It's Alright, That's Love is a romantic dramedy about family, love, domestic abuse, and mental illness. Ji Hae Soo (Kong Hyo Jin) is a psychiatrist that suffers from an anxiety disorder that prevents her from experiencing physical intimacy. But she's determined to overcome it with her own efforts. Jang Jae Yeol (Zo In Sung) is a famous author and radio personality suffering from OCD as a result of physical and emotional abuse experienced as a child. But he's accepted it and lives with the condition as a fact of his life. The unlikely pair meet when they serve as special guests on a talk show and their personalities clash both on and off the camera. When they are reunited as roommates, they come to realize that they may be more alike than different and set off on a journey of healing and self-discovery.

4.5 = Just About Perfect

Recommendation: It's Alright, That's Love is easily one of the best k-dramas of 2014. This is what a grown-up k-drama should look like once it graduates from the school of bathroom humor, love triangles, and social status conflicts. The dialogue is smart, sexy, and fast paced. The characters are complex. The writers manage to deftly sidestep the presentation of k-drama stereotypes while giving the audience relatable characters with realistically messy relationships. I am not familiar with Zo In Sung's prior work but for me this was a stand-out performance. He captured the essence of mental illness without going over-the-top. In fact, it was the "quiet" moments where he most often brought me to tears. While the director executed the plot perfectly from start to finish, I found one small miss. The final episode was a little too... happy. Yes, I want my k-dramas to end on a positive note. However, mental illness is a predominant theme in the series, which is a lifelong struggle. The ending should have been less, "...they lived happily ever after," and more, "...they worked hard to make each day better than the one that came before it."